What are resources?

•Anything that can be used to satisfy a need is a resource. For example: land, minerals, air etc.

Value of a resource

•The purely economic value of a resource is controlled by supply and demand. This is, however, a narrow perspective on resources as there are many things that cannot be measured in money.

•Natural resources like forests, mountains etc. are considered beautiful so they have aesthetic value. Resources also have an ethical value as well, because it is widely recognized that it is our moral duty to protect and conserve them for the future generations.

Characteristics of resources

• Resources have three main characteristics: utility, quantity (often in terms of availability), and consumption. However, this definition is not accepted by some, for example deep ecologists who believe that non-human elements are independent of human values.

Types of resources: Natural resources

•Natural resources are derived from the environment. Many of them are essential for our survival while others are used for satisfying our needs. Natural resources may be further classified in different ways; on the basis of origin, resources may be divided into.

•Biotic - Biotic resources are those obtained from the biosphere. Forests and their products, animals, birds and their products, fish and other marine organisms are important examples.

• Minerals such as coal and petroleum are also included in this category because they were formed from decayed organic matter.

• Abiotic - Abiotic resources comprise non-living things. For examples include land, water, air and minerals such as gold, iron, copper, silver etc.

• On the basis of the stage of development, natural resources may be called:

• Potential Resources - Potential resources are those that exist in a region and may be used in the future. For example, mineral oil may exist in many parts of India having sedimentary rocks, but until the time it is actually drilled out and put into use, it remains a potential resource.

• KEYWORD• Stock are the materials

in the environment which have the potential to satisfy human needs but do not have the appropriate technology to access them.

• For example, hydrogen and oxygen are two inflammable gases present in water, but we do not have the technology to use them from water.

• Reserved Resources are the subset of stock, where use has not yet been started and are saved for future use.

• Actual resources- are those that have been surveyed, their quantity and quality determined, and are being used in present times. For example, petroleum and natural gas obtained from the Mumbai High Fields.

•The development of an actual resource, such as wood processing depends upon the technology available and the cost involved. That part of the actual resource that can be developed profitably with available technology is called a reserve.

• On the basis of renewability, natural resources can be categorized into:

•Renewable Resources - Renewable resources are those that can be replenished or reproduced easily. Some of them, like sunlight, air, wind, etc., are continuously available and their quantity is not affected by human consumption.

• Many renewable resources can be depleted by human use, but may also be replenished, thus maintaining a flow. Some of these, like agricultural crops, take a short time for renewal; others, like water, take a comparatively longer time, while still others, like forests, take even longer.

• Non-renewable Resources - Non-renewable resources are formed over very long geological periods. Minerals and fossils are included in this category. Since their rate of formation is extremely slow, they cannot be replenished once they are depleted. Out of these, the metallic minerals can be re-used by recycling them, but coal and petroleum cannot be recycled.

• On the basis of distribution, natural resources can be classified into:

• Ubiquitous resources- the resources that can be found everywhere. For example- air, light, water etc.

• Localized-are those that can be found only in certain parts of the world. For example-copper and iron ore, thermal power plant etc.

Percentage water resources in world

Human resources

• Human beings are also considered to be resources. The term Human Resources can also be defined as the skills, energies, talents, abilities and knowledge that are used for the production of goods or the rendering of services.

Human-made resources

• Sometimes, natural substances become resources only when their original form has been changed. Iron ore was not a resource until people learnt to extract iron from it. People use natural resources to make buildings, bridges, roads, machinery and vehicles,

Iron ore

• which are known as HUMAN-MADE RESOURCES. Technology is also a human made resource.

Resource conservation

• Using resources carefully and giving them time to get renewed is called resource conservation. Balancing the need to use resources and also conserve them for the future is called sustainable development.

• There are many ways of conserving resources. Each person can contribute by reducing consumption, recycling and reusing thing. Ultimately it makes a difference because all our lives are linked.

• The future of our planet and its people is linked with our ability

• to maintain and preserve the life support system that nature provides. Therefore it is our duty to ensure that -

• All uses of renewable resources are sustainable

• The diversity of life on the earth is conserved

• The damage to natural environmental system is minimized.

Resources in India

• India's inland water resources comprising rivers, canals, ponds and lakes and marine resources comprising the east and west coasts of the Indian ocean and other gulfs and bays provide employment to nearly 6 million people in the fisheries sector.

•

• In 2008, India had the world's third largest fishing industry.

•India is rich in certain energy resources which promise significant future potential - clean / renewable energy resources like solar, wind, bio-fuels.

Mineral resources in India

• India's major mineral resources include Coal (fourth-largest reserves in the world), Iron ore, Manganese, Mica, Bauxite, Titanium ore, Cromite, Natural gas, Diamonds, Petroleum, Limestone and Thorium (world's largest along Kerala's shores).

•India's oil reserves, found in Bombay High off the coast of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and in eastern Assam meet 25% of the country's demand.

Pictures of some minerals found in

India

Manganese ore

Mica ore

Limestone

Titanium ore

Thorium

Bauxite ore

Other major resources: oil and

natural gas• India of proven oil

reserves as of January 2007, which is the second-largest amount in the Asia-Pacific region behind China. Most of India's crude oil reserves are located in the western coast (Mumbai High)

•and in the northeastern parts of the country, although considerable undeveloped reserves are also located in the offshore Bay of Bengal and in the state of Rajasthan.

• India had 38 trillion cubic feet of confirmed natural gas reserves as of January 2007.A huge mass of India’s natural gas production comes from the western offshore regions, particularly the Mumbai High complex. The onshore fields in Assam, Andhra Pradesh, and Gujarat states are also major producers of natural gas.